Folding chair



March 6, 1956 v ONEILL 2,737,231

FOLDING CHAIR Filed June 3, 1952 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY March 6,1956 R.A. O'NEILL I 2,737,231

FOLDING CHAIR Filed June 3, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR ATTORNEYUnited States Patent 2,737,231 Forums. CHAIR Ralph A. GNeill, Englewood,N. 3.

Application June 3, H52, Serial No. 291,509

17 Claims. (Cl. 155-142) This invention relates'to a folding orcollapsible article of furniture, and more specifically comprehendsafolding chair of novel construction.

An object of the invention is the provision of an article of furniturewith folding means that effectively maintains the same in rigid,releasably locked assembly when in load-supported unfolded positionwhereby. rocking or side-sway is substantially prevented.

Objects of the invention include anfolding chair that is light inweight, structurally strong, and: maintained erect without side-sway,springing or side-rocking when occupied by a person when in use;a-folding'chair that is readily and easily collapsible or foldable intocompact arrangement for storage when not in use; .a-folding-chairr thatcombines ruggedness to wear,ieasy portability, lightness of weight, andprecision locking into unfolded-or usable position; a folding, chairhaving; its: structural frame of extruded. aluminum of aunitshape-comprising twohollow cylindricalportions joined -.by:-a commonweb; a. folding chair having a novel" construction. that insures.

stability without side-sway'or rocking when in occupied use; anall-metal. folding chair= of-rigidconstructionzcornprising a back framehaving the extended. side. posts thereof constituting two forward legsof: the: chair, two

other supporting iegmembers-pivoted to' the side posts" of the backframe constitutingtworear legs of the: chair, and a seat frame havingtwo side'-railspivotally'rnounted on the side posts. of the backframeand adapted" to releasably engage by blade and slot'connection:into rigid unfolded position withgthe two rearlegsiof the chair.

Other objects of the invention? wilLbev apparent from the-description,appendedclaims; and the drawinghereing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the essential mechanical construction ofthe chair when in partially opened posi- Figure is a view looking in-thedirection of arrow 5 in. Figure 3.

Figure. 6 is a front end view of Figure 1 showing the attachment of theseat to the seat frame;

Figure 7 is a view along theline 7-7 of" Figure 2. Figure Sis a viewalong the line 88 of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a view along the line 99-of' Figure 3'.

Referring to the drawings thenumeral 1. is a side post ofthe back frame,and is made of an extruded aluminum shape. shown in cross-section inpart of the view of Figures 8 and" 9 and comprising two hollow"seamless-cylindrical portions 2 and 2, and a connecting web 3. Passingthrough a slot in 2' and securely riveted-tothe Web. 3 by rivet 4 is theflat ear 5 having pivoted thereon a flat element 6 by the pivot pin 7.The element 6 is securely rivetedto a rear leg 8 with rivet 9, twotongues of the element 6 extending into the hollow cylindrical portionsof leg 8. The side post 1 has the seat side rail 10 pivotally mountedthereon through the medium of a flanged bridge element 11 which isriveted to the web 3.at points 12 and 13, the rail 10 having a headedpivot bolt 14 extending through the element 11, with a metal washer andpeened head firmly pivotally mounting the rail 10 on the post 1 with thebridge 11 functioning as a bearing where it contacts the flat side ofthe rail 10. The side rail 10 is formed of the same extruded aluminumshape of the post 1 and has pivotally attached thereto at its web a flatlink element 15.through the medium of a double-headed bolt. 16 andwasher therefor. The flat link element 15 is of arcuate shape and isprovided with a notch or cut-out portion in the configuration of anangle defined by faces 17 and 18. The element 15 is pivotally attachedto the rear leg 3 by the pivot pin 19. Rigidly fixed to the rear leg 8by a bolt 20 is a bifurcated abutment element 21 which has two legs 22and 23 separated by a slot 24. The leg 23 is longer than the leg. 22'and has at the bottom thereof a flanged portion 25 which is normal tothe web of leg 8 and fits snugly inthe space between the'cylindricalsides of the leg 3. As. shownin'Figures lto 4, the flange 25 of the leg23 forms a stop, or abutment for the cut-out face 17 of the link 15, andthe side face 26 of the leg 23 forms a stop or. abutment for the cut-outface 18of the link 15. The slot 24013 the bifurcated stop element 21 isadapted to receive: therein the terminal'bladed end 27 v of the seatrail 19.. The bladed end 27 is formed by cutting away part of thecylindrical portion toleave an abutment edge or face 23 on the bladedend to contact the top face 33 of the slot 24and to provide an abuttingend face 29 of the cylindrical portion to contact the side wall 30 ofthe bifurcated. element 21'. The end face 31 of the leg 22also' forms astop for the cylindrical portion 32 that has. not been. cut away and.which extends lengthwise beyond the. cutaway cylindrical portion of theside rail 10;

Referring now toFigure 6, this shows the attachment of the metal seat 34to the seat side rail it As shown alsoin-Figure 1', a metal angle:element 35 has a depending convexly curved portion 36 fitting againstthe top cylindrical. portion of the seat side rail wand a straightportion lying flat against the web below. Between the curvedand flatconfigurated end of the metal angle element35 andthe top cylinder andweb of side rail iii lies thercorresponding curved and fiat configuratedflange of the: metal, seat.- pan 34, with the top of the seat pan 34extending over the top of the angle element 35, as shown at therighthandend of Figure l and in Figure 6. A11 exploded'rivet37 maintains theelements 34 and 35 fixedly secured to a. cylindrical portion of the siderail fit. The metaliseatpan 34 is'attached at other points directlyto-theside rail 10 byexploded rivets (not shown) without the interveningangle element, which angle elementiis. usedat. the front of the chairand extends transversely to the siderail 10.

The-above description applies'to one side of the chair, but itris: clearthatthe other side is providedwith a similarconstruction, the chairbeing formed of two back legs. 8' and two forward legs which constitutelower extendedfportions of: the posts-1. forming two sides of thebaclcframe'. Obviously, two-side rails 10' form the seat frame with the.transverse angle member 35' joining them. it is believed unnecessarytoshow the extreme terminals of the legs or the top of the back frame, asany conventional construction of such may be used. The seat pan may haveattached thereto any suitable seating material for comfort of the userand appearance of the chair.

The operation of the device is clear from the above description and thedrawings. With the device in folded position as shown in Figure 3, athrust downward of the seat clockwise will cause the parts to open intothe unfolded position of Figure 2. In the fully open or usable positionshown in Figure 2, a locking and fully supporting efiect is obtained byblades 27 of the side rails 14 entering and interfitting with the slots24 of the bifurcated abutment elements 21, the faces 28 contacting thetop faces 33 of the slots, complemented by the faces 17 and 18 abuttingthe edge faces and 26 respectively of the legs 23 of the bifurcatedelements, and further complemented by the faces 29 of the terminatedcylindrical ribs and the curved top surfaces 32 of the non-terminatedcylindrical ribs abutting the edge faces 3 and 31 respectively. To foldthe chair, an upward thrust against the seat counterclockwise causesdisengagement for complete folding.

The result of this firm locking mechanism is a coordinated structurethat does not wobble, rock, or sidesway, and at the same time providesnecessary supporting strength for the load to be carried by the chairwhen occupied by the user.

The extruded unit shape having two cylindrical portions connected by aweb which is used for the framework of the chair, is extruded preferablyfrom aluminum and its alloys, but any other light metal or alloy havinghigh strength commensurate with light weight may be used where lightnessin Weight is a requisite. In its broader aspects, the invention is notslavishly restricted to any specific metal, nor to the specificembodiment or mechanical details hereindescribed or disclosed, asmodifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A folding chair having in combination a back frame, supporting meanspivotally connected to said back frame, a seat frame pivotally connectedto aid back frame, and means defining a slot having spaced sides on saidsupporting means cooperating with means on said seat frame entering saidslot in interfitting relationship to support the seat frame when inunfolded load-supporting position and removed from said slot when theseat frame is in folded position.

2. A folding chair having in combination a back frame, supporting meanspivotally connected to said back frame, a seat frame pivotally connectedto said back frame, and means on said supporting means cooperating withmeans on said seat frame in interfitting relationship to support theseat frame when in unfolded load-supporting position, and link meanspivotally connected to said supporting means and pivotally connected tosaid seat frame to link the supporting means and seat frame together,said last named link means being engageable in abutting relationshipwith the means on the supporting means when the chair is inload-supporting position.

3. A folding or collapsible chair having a pair of front membersdefining at their top portions a back frame and at their bottom portionsa pair of forward legs, a pair of rear members pivotally attached attheir top portions to the front members in supporting relationship forthe back frame and defining at their bottom portions a pair of rearlegs, abutment means mounted on said rear members, said abutment meanshaving slots therein, a pair of side members defining a seat frame, saidside members having blade means at the ends thereof releasablyengageable with the slots of the abutment means to support the seat whenin open or unfolded position.

4. A folding or collapsible chair having a pair of'front membersdefining at their top portions a back frame and at their bottom portionsa pair of forward legs, a pair of rear members pivotally attached attheir top portions to the front members in supporting relationship forthe back frame and defining at their bottom portions a pair of rearlegs, abutment means mounted on said rear members, said abutment meanshaving slots therein, a pair of side members defining a seat frame, saidside members having blade means at the ends thereof releasablyengageable with the slots of the abutment means to support the seat whenin open or unfolded position, and link means pivotally connecting theside members with the rear members.

5. A folding or collapsible chair having a pair of front membersdefining at their top portions a back frame and at their bottom portionsa pair of forward legs, a pair of rear members pivotally attached attheir top portions to the front members in supporting relationship forthe back frame and defining at their bottom portions a pair of rearlegs, abutment means mounted on said rear members, said abutment meanshaving slots therein, a

' pair of side members defining a seat frame, said side members havingblade means at the ends thereof releasably engageable with the slots ofthe abutment means to support the seat when in open or unfoldedposition, and link means pivotally connecting the side members with therear members, said link means having a cut-out portion the faces ofwhich are engageable with side faces of the abutment means.

6. A folding chair formed of metallic structural members, said membershaving a configuration defined by two hollow cylindrical ribs connectedby a web, said members comprising a back frame defining front legsextended therefrom, a seat frame, and rear leg members supporting theback frame, said rear leg members being pivotally connected to said backframe, the seat frame being pivotally connected to the back frame, linkmeans pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear legs, bifurcatedabutment means fixedly secured to said rear leg members, the seat framehaving a cylindrical rib of its structural member terminating a spaceddistance from an end thereof to expose the web as a blade, the bladebeing movable into the bifurcated abutment means upon unfolding of thechair into load-supporting open position, and retractable from thebifurcated abutment means upon closing of the chair into foldedposition.

7. A folding chair formed of metallic structural members, said membershaving a configuration defined by two hollow cylindrical ribs connectedby a Web, said members comprising a back frame defining front legsextended therefrom, a seat frame, and rear leg members supporting theback frame, said rear leg members being pivotally connected to said backframe, the seat frame being pivotally connected to the back frame, linkmeans pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear legs, bifurcatedabutment means fixedly secured to said rear leg members, the seat framehaving a cylindrical rib of its structural member terminating a spaceddistance from an end thereof to expose the web as a blade, the bladebeing movable into the bifurcated abutment means upon unfolding of thechair into load-supporting open position, and retractable from thebifurcated abutment means upon closing of the chair into foldedposition, said bifurcated abutment means having a long leg and a shortleg, the vertical face of the terminated cylindrical rib and the curvedtop surface of the other cylindrical rib adjacent to the web contactingrespective side surfaces of the short leg of the bifurcated abutmentmeans.

8. A folding chair formed of metallic structural mem bers, said membershaving a configuration defined by two hollow cylindrical ribs connectedby a web, said members comprising a back frame defining front legsextended therefrom, a seat frame, and rear leg members supporting theback frame, said rear leg members being pivotally connected to said backframe, the seat frame being pivotally connected to the back frame, linkmeans pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear legs, bifurcatedabutment means fixedly secured to said rear leg members, the seat framehaving a cylindrical rib of its structural member terminating a spaceddistance from an end thereof to expose the web as a blade, the bladebeing movable into the bifurcated abutment means upon unfolding of thechair into load-supporting open position, and retractable from thebifurcated abutment means upon closing of the chair into foldedposition, the vertical face of the terminated cylindrical rib and thecurved top surface of the other cylindrical rib adjacent to the webcontacting respective side surfaces of the short leg of the bifurcatedabutment means, said link means having an angular cut-out portiondefining face edges which contact respective face edges of the long legof the bifurcated abutment means when the chair is in load-supportingposition.

9. The folding chair defined in claim 6 in which the metallic structuralmembers are of extruded aluminum.

10. A folding chair formed of metallic structural members, said membershaving a configuration defined by two hollow cylindrical ribs connectedby a web, said members comprising a back frame defining front legsextended therefrom, a seat frame, and rear leg members supporting theback frame, said rear leg members being pivotally connected to said backframe, the seat frame being pivotally connected to the back frame, linkmeans pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear legs, bifurcatedabutment means fixedly secured to said rear leg members, the seat framehaving a cylindrical rib of its structural member terminating a spaceddistance from an end thereof to expose the web as a blade, the bladebeing movable into the bifurcated abutment means upon unfolding of thechair into load-supporting open position, and retractable from thebifurcated abutment means upon closing of the chair into foldedposition, a metal seat on said seat frame attached to a cylindrical ribby exploded rivet means passing into the hollow of the rib.

11. A folding chair formed of metallic structural members, said membershaving a configuration defined by two hollow cylindrical ribs connectedby a web, said members comprising a back frame defining front legsextended therefrom, a seat frame, and rear leg members supporting theback frame, said rear leg members being pivotally connected to said backframe, the seat frame being pivotally connected to the back frame, linkmeans pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear legs, bifurcatedabutment means fixedly secured to said rear leg members, the seat framehaving a cylindrical rib of its structural member terminating a spaceddistance from an end thereof to expose the web as a blade, the bladebeing movable into the bifurcated abutment means upon unfolding of thechair into load-supporting open position, and retractable from thebifurcated abutment means upon closing of the chair into foldedposition, a metallic angle section extending transversely on said seatframe, a seat on said seat frame, the seat and said angle section beingsecured to a cylindrical rib of said seat frame by exploded rivet meanspassing through the rib into the hollow thereof.

12. A folding chair including in combination a back frame havingextensions thereof defining a pair of forward legs, a pair of rear legspivotally connected to said back frame, an abutment member rigidlysecured on each of said rear legs, each of said abutment members havinga slot therein, a seat frame including two side rail members eachpivotally mounted respectively on the said forward legs at pointssubstantially midway of the side rails, a link member pivotallyconnected at one end to each of said rear legs respectively at a pointspaced below said abutment member and pivotally connected at the otherend to a side rail at a point between said midway pivotal connection ofa side rail and said abutment member, each of the side rail membershaving a flat bladed terminal engageable in each of the slots of theabutment members respectively, and each of the link members having acut-out portion conforming to the sides of each abutment member, wherebyupon unfolding the chair into loadsupporting open position, the seatframe is securely locked in position.

13. An article of furniture having a collapsible or foldable unitcomprising two pivotally connected members, one of said members having ablade-receiving slot associated therewith, a third member pivotallyconnected .to the other of said members, and blade means on the thirdmember in interfitting engagement with the bladereceiving slot when theunit is in unfolded position, said blade means on the third member beingout of engagement with the blade-receiving slot when the unit is infolded position.

14. An article of furniture having a collapsible or folding entitycomprising two pivotally connected members, an abutment having a slothaving spaced sides therein on one of said members, a third memberpivotally connected to the other of said members, and means on saidthird member releasably engageable in interfitting relationship with theslot of the abutment.

15. An article of furniture having a collapsible or folding entityincluding two pivotally connected members, an abutment having a slothaving spaced sides therein on one of said members, a third memberpivotally connected to the other of said members, a link pivotallyconnected to the third member and to the member having the abutmentthereon, and means on the third member releasably engageable with theslot of the abutment in interfitting relationship.

16. An article of furniture including a supporting frame element of anextruded aluminum unit shape having a configuration defined by twoseamless cylindrical hollow ribs integrally connected by a web.

17. As a new article of manufacture, an extruded aluminum structuralsupporting frame element having a unit shape defined by two elongatedseamless cy1indrical hollow ribs integrally connected by a web.

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